MusiQ
Big Black - Bulldozer
Review by Erich Schuler
Bulldozer, the third and final studio album by American noise rock band Big Black, is a masterpiece of abrasive, confrontational music. Released in 1983, the album features Steve Albini on guitar and vocals, Santiago Durango on guitar, Dave Riley on bass, and Roland, a drum machine.
From the opening track, "The Power of Independent Trucking," Bulldozer grabs the listener by the throat and doesn't let go. Albini's shouted vocals and jagged guitar riffs are backed by a relentless rhythm section that pounds away like a bulldozer. The songs on the album are short, sharp shocks of noise, with titles like "Cables," "Dead Billy," and "Pavement Saw."
Despite its aggressive sound, Bulldozer is not just a wall of noise. Albini's lyrics are often bleak and disturbing, dealing with themes of violence, alienation, and despair. On "Kerosene," he sings about burning down a house with his ex-girlfriend inside, while "Bad Penny" is a scathing attack on a former friend.
Table of Contents
Download
Filename: big-black-bulldozer.rar- MP3 size: 67.5 mb
- FLAC size: 319.5 mb
Tracks
| Track | Duration | Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Cables | ||
| Pigeon Kill | ||
| The Pigeon Kill | ||
| Texas | ||
| Seth | ||
| I'm A Mess | ||
| I'm a Mess | ||
| Jump the Climb | ||
| Jump The Climb |
Images
Catalog Numbers
- TG90
- TG090
- RRBB07
- TG-90, tg90
- rrbb07
- TG #90
Labels
- Touch And Go
- Ruthless Records
- Ruthless Records , Fever Records
Listen online
- online luisteren
- lyssna på nätet
- écouter en ligne
- kuunnella verkossa
- lytte på nettet
- ascolta in linea
- escuchar en línea
- ouvir online
- online anhören
Formats
- Vinyl
- 12"
- EP
- Reissue
- Remastered
- 45 RPM
- Full Metal Jacket
- 6 × File
- MP3
- 320 kbps
- Test Pressing
Companies
| Role | Company |
|---|---|
| Remastered At | Chicago Mastering Service |
| Copyright (c) | Big Black |
| Phonographic Copyright (p) | Touch And Go Records |
| Lacquer Cut At | Chicago Mastering Service |
| Mastered At | Record Technology Incorporated |
| Pressed By | Rainbo Records |
| Recorded At | Hedden West Studios |
| Mixed At | Chicago Recording Company |
| Manufactured By | Rainbo Records |
Credits
| Role | Credit |
|---|---|
| Bass | Jeff |
| Snare | Jeff |
| Drums | Pat Byrne |
| Engineer | Iain Burgess |
| Guitar | Steve Albini |
| Vocals | Steve Albini |
| Lacquer Cut By | BW |
| Photography By | Shawn Spence |
| Remastered By | Bob Weston, Steve Albini |
| Producer | Big Black |
Notes
- Includes a full album download coupon, a reprint of the original insert, and a 24"x36" poster.
- © 1984 Big Black
- ℗ 1992 Touch and Go Records
- Originally released in 1983 on Ruthless/Fever (RRBB07),
- The release also lists two fictional credits:
- roland: roland
- and
- tank (on loan from the construction site): tank
- Originally released in 1983.
- Ⓒ 1984 Big Black
- Ⓟ 1992 Touch And Go Records
- Includes a 35" x 24" poster and a single-sided liner notes/credits insert. Steve Albini's drum machine is credited on the insert as roland: roland.
- Printed in Canada
- The first 200 copies of this came in an acid-etched steel sleeve with a 12x12 cardboard flat of the normal Bulldozer cover art, a single sided insert with liner notes and a poster of some folks in a nursing home. The "normal" issue just came with the poster of old people and the single-sided insert. All copies probably came with the Fever/Ruthless catalog (one double-sided 8.5x11 sheet of paper)
- Download available via coupon included with the vinyl remaster of Bulldozer.
- Category TG-90 is on the coupon. tg90 is on the download page.
- Ruthless / Fever Records
- Jacket made in Canada
- The release also lists two fictional credits (both credited on the single-sided insert):
- roland (Steve Albini's drum machine): roland
- This "normal" issue just came with the poster of old people and the single-sided insert. All copies probably came with the double-sided 8.5"x11" Fever/Ruthless mailorder sheet.
- Matrix info:
- Mastering and pressing company can be identified by the matrix etching "QCA" and matrix numbers "311063X" found in runout area.
- Mastering and pressing company uncredited, identified by the matrix etching "QCA".
- No "Printed in Canada" mention printed on back cover.
- Label code "LC 7861" printed on B-side center label.
- Pressed by MPO.
- The bulk of this record was recorded in September 1983 at Hedden West Studio, Chicago.
- First set of mixes done at Chicago Recording Company.
- Track B3 "Jump The Climb" was written and recorded in April 1981 in an apartment in Chicago on Sam Fishkin's four-track.
- Includes a 35" x 24" poster and a single-sided liner notes / credit insert.
- Printed on back cover:
- Big Black P.O. Box 442 Evanston, IL 60204.
- Touch And Go P.O. Box 25520 Chicago, IL 60625 USA.
- Touch And Go 10 Myddleton Rd, London N224NS England.
- Ⓒ 1984 Big Black.
- Ⓟ 1992 Touch And Go Records.
- Rainbow test press
Barcodes
- Barcode (Scanned): 036172079018
- Barcode (Text): 0 36172 07901 8
- Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, etched): TG90-A [CMS logo]BW 090115 RE-RIDICULOUS 18123.1...
- Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, etched): TG90-B [CMS logo]BW090115 1̶8̶1̶2̶5̶.̶2̶(̶2̶)̶... 18123.2...
- Matrix / Runout (Side A, etched, var. 1): TG 90 A1 S-26883 9125-1 "MILO'S LAST STAND"
- Matrix / Runout (Side B, etched, var. 1): TG 90 B1 S-26884 9125-2 "RIDICULOUS"
- Matrix / Runout (Side A, etched, var. 2): TG 90 A1 S-26883 "MILO'S LAST STAND"
- Matrix / Runout (Side B, etched, var. 2): TG 90 B1 S-26884 "RIDICULOUS"
- Matrix / Runout (Side A, etchings): 311063X - A STILL NOT A DISCO MIX
- Matrix / Runout (Side B, etchings): 311063X - B QCA SIMPLY RIDICULOUS
- Matrix / Runout (Label Side A): 311063XA
- Matrix / Runout (Label Side B): 311063XB
- Matrix / Runout (Side A, etched): MPO TG 90 A¹ "MILO'S LAST STAND"
- Matrix / Runout (Side B, etched): MPO TG 90 B¹ "RIDICULOUS"
- Label Code: LC 7861
About Big Black
American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Naked Raygun. In 1985, Pezzati was replaced by Dave Riley.
Big Black's aggressive and abrasive music was characterized by distinctively clanky guitars and the use of a drum machine rather than a drum kit. The band's lyrics flouted commonly held taboos and dealt franklyand often explicitlywith politically and culturally loaded topics including murder, rape, child sexual abuse, arson, racism, and misogyny. Though the band's lyrics contained controversial material, the lyrics were meant to serve as a commentary or a display of distaste for the subject matter. They were staunchly critical of the commercial nature of rock, shunning the mainstream music industry and insisting on complete control over all aspects of their career. They booked their own tours, paid for their own recordings, refused to sign contracts, and eschewed many of the traditional corporate trappings of rock bands.
Members
- Steve Albini
- Dave Riley
- Santiago Durango
- Jeff Pezzati